Dispute over Rabbi's Inaugural Prayer in Church

The Rabbinical Council of America expressed concern that Orthodox Rabbi Haskel Lookstein broke a long-standing rule forbidding rabbis from participating in an interfaith inaugural prayer service in a church. Jewish law generally forbids entering a church.

Rabbi Lookstein defended his action as his "civic duty to honor the new president of the United States." He said that after considering the implications of his action, he decided, “Had I pulled out it would have been something of an insult from the Orthodox community."